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| Scholarships and Financial Aid |
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Merit Scholarships:
With your admission to the UK College of Law, you will be considered automatically for merit scholarship funds. The Scholarship Committee starts meeting in January and will continue meeting through mid-April. Three-year merit scholarships are awarded for all or part of tuition, and are available for both residents and nonresidents. If you want to be considered for scholarships, you should apply to UK Law by February 1. Only candidates applying by February 1 can be considered for the College of Law's two largest scholarships, the Bert Combs Scholarship and the Ashland Inc. Legal Scholarship.
Whether or not you receive scholarship funds as an entering student, you may apply for second- and third-year student scholarships in the spring of each academic year. Upper-level student scholarship awards are based upon a variety of criteria, including academic performance in law school, service to the law school and community, and financial need. For the 2010-11 academic year, 285 of UK Law's 419 students received a scholarship award. The median annual grant amount was $5,000 the grant amount of the 75th percentile was $12,442, and the 25th percentile grant was $2,000.
Diversity Awards:
The College of Law awards some of its scholarship funds on the basis of low-income status, educational disadvantage, minority status or other contributions to diversity. These awards are avilable for Kentucky residents and nonresidents candidates.
You will be considered automatically for UK Law Diversity Scholarships on the basis of your application. However, you may add an addendum to supplement your file for diversity scholarship consideration. Your addendum should include a brief statement describing your eligibility for UK Law's diversity scholarships.
UK Fellowships:
The University of Kentucky sponsors several fellowships for UK undergraduates who attend graduate or professional school at UK. The Fellowships are for $12,000 - $20,000 and are awarded on the basis of academic achievement and contributions to UK as an undergraduate. An application is required, which must be submitted in January. The application process is handled by UK's Graduate Fellowship office. If you are a UK undergraduate admitted to UK Law, you should apply for these fellowships.
The Bert Combs Scholars:
The Bert Combs Scholarships were endowed in 1992 to memorialize the achievements of Kentucky's 50th governor, Bert Thomas Combs. The Bert Combs Scholars Program at UK Law rewards the brightest and best law school applicants, from among both Kentucky resident and nonresident candidates. One Bert Combs Scholar is selected each year for the incoming class. The Combs Scholar receives a three-year scholarship that includes tuition plus an annual living stipend, for a total award of not less than $60,000 over the three years of law school. Only candidates applying by February 1 can be considered for the Combs Scholarship, which requires an interview.
Ashland Inc. Legal Scholars:
The Ashland Inc. Legal Scholars program, initiated in 1995, is endowed by gifts from UK Law alumni in partnership with matching funds from Ashland Inc., one of Kentucky's best corporate citizens. The scholarship is in the amount of $20,000 per year for all three years of law school. To be a candidate for the Ashland Scholars Program, you must demonstrate that you will need to borrow funds to attend law school. Only one Ashland Inc. Legal Scholar is selected each year from among Kentucky resident applicants to the entering class who apply by February 1.
To be a strong candidate for the Bert Combs Scholars and the Ashland Inc. Legal Scholars, you must not only meet all criteria for admission to the College of Law, but also have demonstrated high academic achievement as an undergraduate and in your performance on the LSAT. The recommended academic credentials are: 1) An LSAT average of 163 or above and an undergraduate GPA of 3.7 or better 2) An LSAT average of 165 or above and an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or better or 3) An LSAT average of 167 or above and an undergraduate GPA of 3.3 or better. The College of Law Scholarships Committee will invite a limited number of exceptional candidates to interview for these scholarships.
Financial Aid:
The University of Kentucky has a central office for federal need-based financial aid applications. In order to qualify for loan assistance, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). UK Law mails the FAFSA form to all admitted candidates, beginning in January. You must file the FAFSA by March 15 to be considered for all types of aid available.The average amount borrowed for three years of law school by the 2011 graduates taking out loans was $67,622. The national average for law school graduate debt was over $98,000 in 2010.
In completing the FAFSA Form, be sure to list the University of Kentucky in Question #86. Our School Code is 001989.
Do NOT mail the completed FAFSA to UK, but instead send it to:
Federal Student Aid Programs
P.O. Box 4008
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864-8608
If you qualify for work-study funds, for which you MUST apply by March 15, you have the option of working for those funds or receiving them as a low-interest loan. The College of Law requires you to take those funds in the form of a loan for your first year. Working during the first year has proven to be highly detrimental to a student's law school performance. If awarded work-study funds, please respond to UK's financial aid office that you reject the award and wish to be considered for additional loan funds.
The maximum loan funds per year provided under the federal Direct loan program is the lesser of $20,500 or the amount that Student Financial Aid determines to be your need (if you disagree with the need assessment, you may appeal). Perkins Loans of varying amounts up to $4,000 also are available for qualifying students. If you require funds beyond the amount you are awarded under these federal loan programs, there are private and federal Grad PLUS loans available.
Federal Graduate PLUS Loans:
Federal Graduate PLUS Loans are designed to help pay any cost of attendance in excess of your other federal loans. You can borrow up to an amount not to exceed your cost of attendance minus other financial aid. Applications for the Federal Direct Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan can be downloaded from www.uky.edu/FinancialAid. Go to the download page on the UK Financial Aid website and scroll down to the Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan Request Form. PLUS loans are a cheaper alternative than most private loans.
The cost of attendance at UK Law for the 2013-14 academic year is as follows:
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KY Residents |
Nonresidents |
| Tuition |
$18,888 |
$34,554 |
| Fees |
$1,098 |
$1,098 |
| Room & Board |
$11,780 |
$11,780 |
| Books |
$1,000 |
$1,000 |
| Travel |
$700 |
$700 |
| Personal |
$2,472 |
$2,506 |
| Loan Origination |
$162 |
$162 |
| TOTAL |
$36,100 |
$51,800 |
Scholarship Retention:
College of Law merit scholarships awarded for the three years of law school do include a GPA requirement. Students must consistently maintain a grade point average of at least 2.90 on a 4.30 scale at the end of each academic year for their scholarships to continue. The College of Law grading policy provides for 2.90-3.10 to be the median GPA for each class. Merit scholarship recipients who have not obtained at least a 2.90 GPA for their fall semester will receive a warning letter from the Associate Dean that their GPA must improve by the end of the spring semester for the scholarship to continue. For UK Law’s fall 2011 entering class, of the 68 students who received a merit award and completed the first year, 17 did not make the GPA required to continue their scholarship.
Scholarship Retention Data
Students matriculating in 2011: 130
Number entering with Conditional Scholarships: 68
Number whose Conditional Scholarship has since been reduced or eliminated: 17 |
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